Single Phase Motors Provide 3-Phase Power

Single Phase Motors Provide 3-Phase Power ENGINES 30-5-30 Forget about paying big installation charges to get big electrical power. With Written-Pole motors, you can produce 15 to 75 hp with the same lines once limited to 15 hp motors or less. The technology was developed in Florida by Precise Power Corporation, but refined with the help of Manitoba Hydro. Today the motors are marketed in Canada by a subsidiary, Meridium Power, and in the U.S. by a number of different distributors. "As an electric utility, we were searching for ways to service customers clamoring to run 3-phase motors," explains Dale Fresian, general manager, Meridium Power. "Farmers wanted big motors to run irrigation pumps and grain facilities. Developing rural businesses wanted bigger motors for their industrial operations." The problem was that big motors required 3-phase power, and that required a big investment. Manitoba Hydro recognized it would never recoup the investment for 3-phase lines, and customers could never afford it, especially for seasonal power. A solution appeared to be a new technology that allowed single-phase power to be used in high horsepower engines. "We started working with Precise Power Corporation and the Electric Power Research Institute in California to develop the motor," says Fresian. "We did a lot of field testing and lab testing at Hydro Quebec at their advanced testing lab." The result was a single-phase motor that is able to provide high quality, high quantity power at less cost than alternative power sources. "We have one installation that uses two 50-hp and two 75 hp motors on irrigation pumps," cites Fresian. "The owner said he reduced his costs by 80 percent over diesel fuel-powered pumps. We did an economic comparison, and over the past three years, he would have saved $115,000 at today's fuel costs." "Best of all," the customer told Fresian, "I know what my energy costs will be. Other farmers around me hold their breath as they get fuel bills." Advantages of the new motors, in addition to high horsepower, include low starting current, high efficiency and enhanced reliability. The low starting current eliminates voltage sag interference with other customers. The Written-Pole motors are 92 to 95 percent efficient, compared to 85 percent for conventional motors. The simple design reduces service needs even under changing conditions. Fresian says the motors are attractive alternatives for industrial facilities that need compressed air for tools and processes. Meridium is working with a compressor company to develop compressor products. One unusual use is powering aerators to rehabilitate remote lakes that have become polluted. "I have one site that uses one of the single phase motors on an aerator," says Fresian. "It has more than 4,000 hours on it with no maintenance and only one visit to check on it." Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Meridium Power Inc., P.O. Box 815, 820 Taylor Avenue, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, R3C 2P4 (ph 204 474-4928; sales @meridiumpower.ca; www.meridium power. ca); or Precise Power Corporation, P.O. Box 9547, Bradenton, Fla. 34206 (ph 941 722-1600; sales3@precisepwr.com; www. precise pwr.com).

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